David West (21) had 14 points for the Pacers, and George Hill (3) had 13, including the winning free throw. / Nelson Chenault, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Wells, USA TODAY Sports

by Mike Wells, USA TODAY Sports

Monday's matinee between the Indiana Pacers and Memphis Grizzlies was supposed to be little more than a mid-January game honoring the late Martin Luther King Jr.

But the matchup turned into a nationally television treat as two squads positioned high in their respective conferences, but low in terms of exposure, kept it intense.

Players dove on the court for loose balls like it was a Game 7 of a playoff series. Jump shots in the post were met with bodies banging against the shooters. Jump shots were often contested.

The Pacers left the court and headed to Portland, Ore., feeling good about the outcome.

George Hill hit the winner, making 1-of-2 free throws with 1.4 seconds left to lead the Pacers to an 82-81 win over the Grizzlies at the FedEx Forum.

"This was huge for us," Pacers swingman Paul George said. "You're talking about the two top defenses in the league. It definitely had a playoff feel to it. It was a straight grind-it-out game. We knew coming into this game we were going to have to execute and put points up to win."

The Grizzlies (26-14) had tied the score after guard Tony Allen threw his body around the court to help maintain possession. Memphis finally scored on its fourth try when Allen found Zach Randolph underneath for a basket with 10.4 seconds left.

After calling timeout to advance the ball into the frontcourt, Hill got a step on Indiana native Mike Conley and was fouled on his drive to the basket. Several Grizzlies players pleaded their case to the officials to no avail.

"You're going to let them go for the game on that," Allen kept saying to the officials as he paced.

"They made plays down the stretch," Allen said after the game. "We have to pay attention to details. I think they did a better job of doing that today."

It took a video review to confirm the Pacers' victory.

Grizzlies swingman Rudy Gay made a jumper that was waved off because it came after the buzzer. The Pacers knew it was late, even before the officials confirmed it.

David West looked at the monitors and said, "Hell, no, it's no good. Let's go."

Tyler Hansbrough looked into the stands behind the Pacers bench and told the fans, "It's no good."

"Everybody knew Rudy was going to end up with the ball," George said. "I kind of played him into taking longer than he needed to. I jammed his right hand, which took the time off."

The Pacers (26-16) needed the victory from a mental standpoint.

No matter how many strong individual performances they have had this season, no matter how many home victories they have picked up, there have been major concerns about their ability to win on the road.

They spent the days leading up to the start of their four-game trip talking about it. Coach Frank Vogel had a reminder on top of the dry erase board before Monday's game, reminding the Pacers their opportunities to win on the road against quality teams were "dwindling."

Today was only the second road victory of the season for the Pacers over a team with a winning record.

"I told the guys before this trip that we needed to find a way to beat a quality team on the road," Vogel said. "Memphis has the fifth best record in the league. Our guys rose to the challenge, embraced the challenge and came up big. It was a great team (win), great balance; our bench was strong."